The Surpassing Worth of Jesus

Indeed, I count everything as loss for the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him… — Philippians 3:8-9a

Paul made a radical confession in Philippians 3:8 — “Indeed, I count everything as loss for the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.” Did he say everything? Yes. His former confidence in his own righteousness, or at least those things by which he measured his righteousness, was rubbish compared to the righteousness that came through faith in Christ. His social status, his achievements, and his religious credentials meant nothing to his eternal significance once he came to faith in Christ. This is the transforming effect of loving God. What once seemed essential for our identity and acceptance is exposed as empty when placed alongside the glory of the Lord Jesus. Loving God causes us to abandon self-reliance and to cling to Christ’s perfect righteousness. 

Paul’s confession, however, goes much deeper than justification. It includes intimate, personal communion with Jesus, as verse eight reads, “in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him.” Verse ten further explains this stated purpose, “that I may know him and the power of his resurrection.” To love God is to long for an ever-growing relationship with Him. For Paul and us, this intimate relationship with God includes sharing in Christ’s sufferings, an ongoing process of dying to self and living by faith. In Christ, we are freed from the burden of proving ourselves and invited into the joy of knowing God more fully, leading us to rest entirely in Christ’s righteousness while pressing to know Him more. Be like Paul and depend upon Jesus’s righteousness alone for your salvation.

Prayer: Righteous Savior, all that I am is found in You. I have done nothing to save myself or to make myself right before You. Show me how to trust Your righteousness over my own. 

Reflection Questions: 

1. What achievements or forms of “self-righteousness” are you tempted to rely on for your identity or acceptance? 
2. How does seeing Christ as of “surpassing worth” challenge the way you evaluate success and gain? 

Weekly Memory Verse: Indeed, I count everything as loss for the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him… — Philippians 3:8-9a